Need to sort my diet out and don’t know where to start, please help!

[Posypointshoes]

I’ve fallen into really bad habits. Snacking a lot where I never used to, used to eat low carb but can’t seem to manage it any more.

I’ve gone through a panicked cycle of trying lots of different things in the last few months but can’t stick to anything.

i need something with structure but that isn’t too complicated because I’m so busy. And evenings are my danger zone. I think I’ve become a bit addicted to sugar tbh.

had anyone got any advice on where to start - I feel like I’ve tried so many diets I’ve demonised lots of good groups in my head.

im getting married in eight months and don’t want to feel like this - sluggish and unhealthy!

What is working for me currently is calorie counting / recording everything that goes in my mouth and listening to the Brain over Binge podcast that another mumsnetter recommended on a different thread.

It’s early days but once I got over the American style of the podcast it’s really making me think differently about how I eat. And I haven’t banned any food, but I do try to eat mindfully so if I want some chocolate I’ll take it to the sofa, get comfy and really enjoy eating it rather than shoving it in my gob while making the kids dinner etc.

Good luck!

I started tracking again, initially without making any changes to my diet. I was horrified to see how many snacks had crept in without me realising. I’ve started planning my meals for the day and tracking. This is giving me control and I’m feeling better as a result.

A whole grain breakfast cereal, oats or something like eggs on brown toast for breakfast.
a lean protein, salad / veg and a carb (whole grain if possible) for lunch and dinner
fruit, raw veg and natural yogurt for snacks
drink at least 2 litres of water
cut out fizzy drinks and stuff like low fat yogurt that’s pumped with artificial sweeteners

This could be me! Following .

I think the best thing us thinking about what you can add to your diet rather than taking away. Can you add a handful of almonds and some dark chocolate as an evening snack. This eventually can stop you reaching for an extra bowl of cereal to fill the hole.
Add some mixed tinned beans to lunch and you might find that you're no longer hungry again half an hour later.
Add extra veg to any meals and extra fruit to pudding/ breakfast.
Add whole grain carbohydrates to every meal. You'll not only increase your fibre intake but you'll also be fuller for longer.
Each of these contain something positive for your health on its own and there is the added benefit that they may stop you turning to something less healthy later in the day.

Joining for moral support OP. We have a 1yo so the last year has been spent in survival mode, I’m also still breastfeeding so ALWAYS hungry and tired from juggling night wakes, work and life so constantly craving that immediate sugar hit. I snack terribly. DD is going through a phase of taking an age to get down at night so dinner is convenience focused. We’ve tried to counter it by freezing meals so we’ve got something we can quickly prep but DH doesn’t then think to add veg so I often find myself hungry and shovelling in cheese or biscuits a few hours later. I’ve recently been told I have a mild fatty liver so definitely need to get my shit together!

I have had much success this year with calories in and out rather than low carb etc where I always end up hungry.

I choose a protein for each meal, (chicken / Turkey or fish) and a fruit or veg and then add a small carb to it. (Bagel for lunch / jacket potato for dinner) it’s pointless trying to lose weight eating foods you don’t actually like!

I’ve lost over a stone since January. Not starving all the time or tired.

The only snacks I have are a rice cake with dark chocolate or few nuts or a babybel. I drink loads of water.

This is all great thank you. I’m going to listen to the podcast!
I think I’m going to have to really work on changing my mindset.
i know I don’t drink enough water, I don’t eat enough protein and I gravitate towards snacks when I’m bored or stressed so I need to try and break these habits

Nutracheck calorie counter is brilliant.

It's paid for - think around £30 per year but it's the best thing

I like routine so same breakfast and lunch then dinner with DH -what ever he wants tbh- he's the cook too so it's easier. I just add extra veg.

Try to skip breakfast too (intermittent fasting)

Get used to hunger. Have a small apple or boiled egg if ravenous.

Hunger is normal.

Aldi do small bars of 70% choc. It looks like a large bar in a slim box but they are individually wrapped.

I am a desert lover too so crème caramel or Greek yoghurt and blended peaches and honey is super satisfying.

This week for me is breakfast 2 x weetabix lunches - small whole meal ham sandwich with mayo and mustard, fruit and yoghurt, snack banana

Dinner
M- leftover roast
T- chicken risotto
W- prawn pasta
T- chicken curry
F- bratwurst in baguette
S - out
S- fish pie

The easiest way to start is to stop eating all processed/ultra-processed foods (which include ready meals, crisps, sausages & bacon, shop-bought cake, sugary drinks, etc). Also eliminate pasta and rice (substitute potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower rice, courgette spaghetti, etc). Reduce bread quantity, and buy only 'artisan' wholemeal bread (whether wheat, spelt, or rye). Not too much cheese. Cook everything from scratch, as much as possible.

You don't have to make your own cheese (!) or yogurt or tomato puree, etc etc. but do check labels of products for any synthetic ingredients and avoid added sugar.

Eat anything you like within these parameters, i.e. if you want pizza then make it from scratch with fresh ingredients (tomatoes, mozarella, basil, capers, etc). Ditto if you want biscuits (and use unprocessed sugar). Airfryers are great for making healthy chips (try celeriac as well as normal potatoes and sweet potatoes).

I recently lost nearly 3 stone over a one year period following this regime, plus moderate exercise at least 20 mins a day (brisk walking, housework, gardening is fine). No calorie counting. I also drank wine. I was size 16 and am now a 12. Post-menopausal when it's meant to be harder to lose weight. Like you I was eating loads of sugary processed food.

If the above sounds too onerous, then start off with just the no processed/ultra-processed rule, especially avoid processed sugary food, and at least do 50:50 grain rice/cauliflower rice, and 50:50 pasta/courgette spaghetti.

@thedendrochronologist "Try to skip breakfast too (intermittent fasting)

Get used to hunger. Have a small apple or boiled egg if ravenous.

Hunger is normal."

Yes, agreed. I would add that thin (homemade) soup is also a good filler.

I agree with cutting out ultra processed food. It made a huge difference to me when I started eliminating UPFs. Listen to Dr Chis Van Tullekan's podcast on it or read Ultra Processed People.

I found that if I had something like eggs on sourdough with proper butter for lunch I genuinely wasn't hungry. I allow myself to eat pretty much anything e.g. no meals are "banned" but I aim for at least 80% of my diet to be free from UPFs. So if I want cake, I make it. I find I can't binge on that sort of food the way I can with a shop bought packet of biscuits or multi pack of crisps.

My general rules are:

Breakfast of fruit and yoghurt if I want something cold or porridge if I want a hot breakfast.

Lunch is soup, salad or omelette

Dinner of a carb, a protein plus some fruit or veg. So if I had eggs on toast I'd add mushrooms or tomatoes. Or pasta with roast veg, or chicken, brown rice and broccoli.

Alcohol only on Fridays and Saturdays and a dessert once a week.

As another poster said think
adding in healthy foods rather than restricting (more likely to stick to thus). Cut out ultra processed foods though.

I personally would argue against fasting. Make sure you eat enough protein- this will fill you up and mean you’re less likely to snack. If I have a protein heavy breakfast I am much less likely to snack later in the day. Protein at every meal. Then wholegrain carbs and lots of fruit and veg.

@RogueFemale wow well done. What sort of things do you make on the regular? I don't have a huge amount of time so I know prep is going to be key.

Here's my patented no nonsense dour Scots granny guide to quitting evening snacking in 4 steps.

1. Eat enough at meals. This is really crucial. The reason you feel ravenous in the evenings when dieting may well not be that you're a greedy cow lacking in self will (although maybe ye are, I dinnae). It's quite likely if you denied yourself all day you will feel hungry in the evening. Have at least 2 or 3 robust meals a day with plenty of vegetables.

1. The devil makes work for idle hands (imagine stern Kirk loving granny glare here). If you slop around on the sofa all evening your mind will turn inexorably to the biscuit tin. My actual granny would say you should occupy yourself of an evening with polishing the brasswork, darning your menfolk's socks or similar frugal virtue but since the old bat is sadly long since departed and probably isn't haunting me I allow myself to do more fun activities in front of the telly e.g. craftwork, paint my nails, do a jigsaw - anything to keep mind and hands busy.

1. Don't buy junk - motivation for biscuits tends to be much reduced if it means a trip to the shops. If your husband or kids want/need to have treats in stock keep them in baskets labelled with their names so at least you'll feel a passing sting of shame as you pinch the bairns' scran.

1. Bargain with yourself. If the hunger comes calling don't try and deny it, but make a deal that first you'll have a big glass of water, then distract yourself. If it hasn't gone away in 20-30 mins eat a small healthy snack such as some fruit or a piece of cheese and another glass of water then again distract. 90% of the time that sorts it. If not have something more like an extra meal, some toast or porridge or a sandwich. Don't allow yourself unplanned/unearned treats.

My sister, who has had 40 years of weight issues now is very slim and maintaining with some version of the no s diet plus figure 8 exercise routine. So basically just no second helpings and no sweet things other then special occasions and 30minutes of dance aerobics.

Noom is good to examine your relationship with food / understand your eating habits. Then Nutracheck to track everything. Also online shopping for groceries means you aren’t tempted by all the end of the aisle special offers which are invariably complete crap nutritionally

Start with something small like a glass of water first thing, a healthier cereal or a boiled egg. Drink more water. Just aim to cut down the rubbish (I had a problem with white bread cereal and cake and started halving what I had had) and exercise a bit more, in particular in a fun way! By the way I try not to eat after 8 or if I do it’s fruit chopped up or a frozen yoghurt or grapes. I sleep better now (was crisps/crisp sandwiches before!)

Nothing complicated, I'm not a great cook. For dinner things like a fish fillet cooked in the airfryer with lemon in tin foil, plus potatoes and loads of leafy veg. Or chicken thighs with sweet potato mash and leafy veg. Omelette (with whatever leftover veg like red pepper or spring onions) plus salad. Salad Nicoise another easy one. Baked potato with creative filling. A chicken casserole which can do for a few meals. I don't do breakfast and only a tiny bit for lunch, like toast with a bit of cheese or a boiled egg or mashed avocado. Snacking would be a Weetabix with sliced banana. Dates, plain yogurt with honey.

Honestly, the sugar craving has almost gone. But we all cave in occasionally and the trick is not to buy a packet of biscuits (1,000+ calories), instead get a tiny good quality treat (more like 200). Also, the Waitrose frozen chocolate yogurt-ice-cream is great (if you can trust yourself to limit the portion!) It's much easier in the summer when fruit is more abundant.

The main thing is, cut out processed food. Increase fruit and veg.

@Posypointshoes

I'm unsure if it's been mentioned but have you tried adding avocados to your meals? I've started having mixed bean salad plus a green veg (asparagus is my favourite but there's also broccoli, mixed roast non-starchy veggies etc) and a small avocado with a little lemon juice, said and pepper. Very satisfying and stills the craving for cake, biscuits, buttered toast etc. Sometimes I miss out the mixed bean salad and increase the veggies instead. 🌹

I really like Greek yoghurt, honey and walnuts for breakfast. It’s really tasty and healthy, but feels like a sweet treat. I generally have chunky homemade soup or dhal for lunch and dinner is quite varied.

Drinking more water is a good idea, it’s helped me cut down on snacks when I’m actually thirsty. Fruit, plain nuts or dark chocolate are my snacks, but generally only one a day and no snacks after dinner.

What works for me is meal planning and writing it down.